IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: No Arrow in this story. As in Oliver Queen is not the Arrow. The Queens however are mixed up with the Bratva, it's all going to be explained in this chapter.

This Chapter is partly Oliver's POV. A lot of potential twists will be set up in this chapter. For John Diggle fans, he will be in the next Chapter. So the trio of Felicity, Diggle and Oliver will be completely featured in the next chapter. I hope you will love how I will bring John into the fold.

I appreciate encouraging words of support via leaving a comment/review or via any of the following:

Twitter - lollipopsays

Tumblr - everythinglollipop

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

THE NEW BRATVA CAPTAIN

Chapter 2 - The Sacrifice

Oliver was in the middle of his workout routine when his mother interrupted him, "Oliver dear, are you sure you wouldn't join us for the dinner with Anatoly tonight? He will be leaving bright and early in the morning so this is the last time in a long time that we will be seeing him. Oliver it's expected, we are still Bratva after all."

Oliver had tried to ignore his mother and continue his work out but finally paused his workout at the last statement of his mother shaking his head, "yes we are still Bratva, the most respected and powerful Bratva family in Starling City despite what happened a few years back, but after what Anatoly pulled. Appointing that girl" Oliver almost spat the description, "as Captain, you really don't expect me to just fall in line like you and Walter had."

"Oliver, I know this is not easy for you. And don't think this has been easy for Walter or me, especially for me. Your father," Moira's voice shook in remembrance, "was the last Bratva Captain. He was a good Captain. It was unfortunate what happened, despite what Anatoly has said, in my mind, in my heart, it still remains unresolved. But your father would be the first to tell you to respect the Bratva way Oliver." Moira turned her back to her son and prepared to walk out of the house gym but before she took the last step outside the door she turned around again, "I expect you there tonight."

After Moira had left the gym, Oliver tried to resume his routine but after two minutes threw his water bottle across the room.

Of all of them, Moira, Thea or even Walter, his mother's second husband and his father's closest friend, Oliver was hit the most by Robert's death.

Not only was he actually with his father when it happened, but because of the nature of how it had happened. To this day, Oliver could vividly recall almost every detail…..

"I will never convince you to love sailing the way that I do will I son?" Robert grinned at his son as both of them where leaning on the railing gazing at the horizon before them.

"I like sailing, it gives me perspective. Gives me time to think and clear my head. But yeah, I probably don't love it the way that you do. But because this is our father-son bonding time, it has become one of my favorite things to do. It gets you, us, away from both Queen Consolidated and Bratva business. This is just us."

Robert just nodded without answering for a long time until, "Oliver I have to commend you. You are doing a good job at Queen Consolidated. I know it's been just almost a year but Walter has been telling me you are surpassing his expectations and we know Walter has very high expectations."

Oliver turned his back on the horizon and instead leaned his elbows on the rails before he turned to his father, "Dad, you know what I really want and where I really want to be. I know you want to keep me from Bratva business, you are always telling both Mom and me that it's dangerous and that if you had a choice you wouldn't chose that life for us. But we are a Bratva family, your father, my grandfather was Captain before you. Sooner or later someone from your family will take over the reins from you, and that someone is unescapably is going to be me."

Robert shook his head, "I don't know why you are so eager to want this life when taking the reins of QC is the life I want you to have. Oliver, I want you in QC. Leave the Bratva business to me. Help me by learning everything about QC quicker so you can take over the reins of QC faster. I need you, you sister and your mother away from the Bratva life as much as I can make it possible. No father, no responsible father who loves his family would want the Bratva life for his family. No one Oliver, remember that."

"And no responsible son would want to see his father loose his soul to the darkness that is the Bratva. I am young, I can be capable with the proper guidance. Respect will come with time and age. I want to take the burden of Bratva away from you Dad. I know you love QC. You built QC from nothing to what it is now even with the Bratva getting us sucked in. QC has always been about Robert Queen, it's your legacy. Let me be a good son to you. Give me the same training in Bratva business the way Walter had been giving it to me for QC. Let me be Bratva so you can have QC back, have your life back. I'm sure Anatoly wouldn't really make much of an objection. It would be in his best interest to have the next Queen generation have an early start in Bratva business."

Robert patted his sons back, "let's not talk about QC or Bratva business. This is our bonding time son, we have just one more day left your mother expects both of us back in Starling."

Oliver grinned at his father, "let's watch the Superbowl down stairs and have some scotch like men. I think most of the crew had already turned in for the night anyway."

Robert agreed with his son by nodding, "lead the way son." Robert hesitated for a second, his son now ahead of him by four maybe five steps before he attempted to follow as something attracted his attention from afar.

Seconds later, an explosion was felt and suddenly fire was breaking out everywhere across the boat. The crew that was on night duty tried to firefight but the fire coupled with the water they were taking in made things bad to worst in a matter of minutes.

Oliver was already a step down when chaos first broke out and he immediately looked around for his father but large flames were surrounding him. He heard a gutter like heavy noise and more shouting, one voice distinctively heard above the rest, "it's breaking up! Hold on to something!"

Oliver finally spotted his father from afar, frantically trying to help a couple of the crew hang on as the boat started to topple over. A hand reached out and circled tightly around Oliver's forearm pulling him to the other side of the boat.

"Oliver, you have to help me. We need to get to the inflatable rafts. It's the best way for us to rescue the others. There is no way for us to be able to cross to the other side with that fire and the angle of the boat."

Oliver registered the voice of the Captain and automatically acted on his instructions his mind frozen on getting to his father as soon as he could. His father was a powerful swimmer just like him but because of the turbulence of the waters, it would be a little challenging.

The Captain and Oliver worked hand in hand to lower the raft, succeeding after a number of minutes because the half side of the boat was now completely tilted making it almost an impossible task for them to do.

Twice the waters had threatened to toppled the raft. It took a longer number of minutes to get both the Captain and Oliver on board, the Captain insisting that Oliver don a life jacket before they attempted to paddle to rescue the crew and his father.

In the end, despite the efforts of both the Captain who Oliver later realized had been injured, his side bleeding profusely, they were unable to save any lives. They had been floating in the raft for maybe a few hours, maybe a day now with nothing to eat and just the supply of the flair gun and first aid supplies on board the raft.

The Captain had been dehydrated and had fallen into a deep sleep. Oliver had no idea if it was just a comma of even if the Captain was even alive. He himself had been losing hope of ever being rescued. His thoughts had always returned to his father who he had been unable to rescue.

Finally, after maybe three days he heard what sounded like a miracle from above, Oliver didn't really have any sense of time anymore, his skinned was badly burned from the exposure from the sun, his lips chapped, he couldn't even lift himself as he heard the sound of the helicopter. It took tremendous effort to even get the flair gun and lift his arm to fire a shot but he was finally able to do so before he collapsed in exhaustion.

Oliver woke up he was told, a week later in Starling City General Hospital with his mother by his side. It took another week until the Doctors finally consented to discharge him and Oliver was finally able to set foot back inside the Queen Mansion.

That had been three years ago.

Three years ago, he had lost his father. An investigation had immediately been underway and the result was determined to be an accident. No foul play, no suspicions. To this day, Oliver had never accepted that to be the truth. He was sure he had heard something, seen something.

His father had been in the middle of a brewing war within Bratva, those other powerful forces within Starling who wanted to grab leadership from Robert, as well as the growing influence of the Chinese Triad.

Robert had been making numerous calls back to Russia to the Bratva head Anatoly in the last couple of weeks prior to the father-son bonding sail. Robert tried not to let it show, but Oliver had seen the struggles his father had.

That was part of the reason why he wanted to take over the responsibility of the Bratva from his father and give his father the opportunity to focus his attention back to the thing he loved most next to his family, Queen Consolidated.

But, all this had been for nothing. In the end, Robert Queen had not survived.

Now, Oliver had carried the burden of living up to the expectations of his father. His father wanted the QC life for his son. Oliver had strove to make his father proud, two years after his return from the sea, Oliver had taken over the reins as CEO of QC from his mother who had taken over from her father when he had died.

But, Oliver had also taken over some 'unofficial' responsibility for the Bratva, who during the last three years had the position of Bratva Captain vacant, Anatoly still did not appoint a replacement, instead he appointed Moira and Oliver Queen as interim Bratva representative in Starling without the power of making actual decisions. Decision were relayed to Russia then made by Anatoly himself and relayed back to Moira.

Anatoly had attended the 'funeral' the Queens had prepared for Robert three years ago but had never been back in Starling until three days ago. It was Moira's and Oliver's assumption that Anatoly had intended to appoint one of them as the new official Bratva Captain in Starling City.

But that had never happened. Instead Felicity Smoak, an employee of the IT department of QC was appointed as the new Bratva Captain.

Oliver had finally made it to the ballroom of the hotel which was the venue for 'Bratva party' that was attended not only by the Moira Queen and Walter Steele but by other Bratva families in Starling City and the neighboring cities like Central.

Oliver was fashionably late, very fashionably later. The party was a cocktail affair therefore Oliver did not miss out on the dinner, instead most everyone was crowding around Anatoly and the new Bratva Captain who seemed lost and confused at everything going around her which was the exact opposite of Anatoly who relished the attention he was getting from Moira and the other head of the families like her.

Oliver made a beeline for the bar, the only way he was going to make it through the remainder of the night, no matter how little remained of it was with a tumbler of scotch in his hand.

Anatoly had his hand on the lower back of Felicity, parading her around personally so the disgruntled elements of the Bratva once and for all accepted the reality that they had a new Bratva Captain in their midst.

Anatoly was appreciative of the fact that Moira Queen and Walter Steele had seen to it that it was their role to stand by Felicity's side as a sign of support just in case a Bratva middle layer leader further protested. Since everyone knew that the Queens had the inside track on being the next Bratva Captain and they could see for themselves that Moira had thrown in her full support for the Captain that was selected who was not a Queen then the others should also toe the line without question, so to speak.

Anatoly had moved to the bar confident that he could leave Felicity with Moira and Walter for a few minutes.

"Oliver, nice of you to finally grace us with your presence," Anatoly told Oliver in a heavy accent.

Oliver swallowed down the rest of his drink before he faced Anatoly, "Anatoly, a pleasure as always. I wouldn't have missed your send off for anything. After all, it might be years again before you travel back to my country."

"Tell me Oliver, do you have a problem with the person I appointed as the new Bratva Captain?" Anatoly challenged him.

Oliver let his gaze fall on Felicity, his mother and Walter. "As you can see for yourself, my family has been more than accommodating."

"Ah but I wasn't really referring to Moira or even Walter. I was asking you Oliver. I know you had high hopes being selected as the new Captain after your father."

Oliver shrugged, "I am the CEO of Queen Consolidated now, as my father wished. I have my hands full."

Anatoly stepped in front of Oliver so Oliver would have no choice but look him in the eye, "but wouldn't you have wanted to be Bratva Captain instead, more than the CEO of QC? That was what your father once told me, yes?"

Oliver looked Anatoly straight in the eye for a full minute before he spoke again.

"Tell me Anatoly, what really happened during that night my father died. To this day, I don't really believe it was an accident. Something or better yet, someone was responsible for the sabotaging boat my father and I were in. I have talked to several experts. Unfortunately they all wanted to get the remains of the boat for further investigation which is probably at the bottom of the sea forever taking its secrets with her."

"Ah Oliver, after three years I see you still have not moved on from your conspiracy theories. It was an act of God. No foul play. Bratva did not want your father dead even after he had been ineffective in stopping the Chinese Triad gaining ground in this part of the world. And, before you even think to tell me that the Triad was responsible," Anatoly put out a hand to Oliver's bicep, "we did our own investigation. And the results were inconclusive."

Oliver started to shake his head and open his mouth but was once again was silenced by Anatoly.

"Oliver…..let the past remain in the past. I have reason to believe that the Triad is planning something big in a month or two against the Bratva. That was why I finally appointed a new Captain. I know you have your own doubts as to the capability of the new Captain. But I have my reasons why. This is for the best."

This time Oliver eyed Anatoly, searching his face for any crack in his façade but found none. Oliver could interpret Anatoly's statement in many ways but Oliver instinctively thought the worst of Anatoly immediately. Maybe, appointing someone who had no known ties to the Bratva, a novice, the worst possible Captain candidate was really because Anatoly had a deeper agenda. Maybe, appointing Felicity as Bratva Captain was an easy sacrifice for Anatoly. By appointing an outsider, if anything happened to the new Captain, none of the other families would rise up against the Bratva since the Bratva families would remain intact and would remain solid behind Anatoly.

Oliver's gaze flew back to Felicity giving her a once over. Should he care that the woman could potentially be a necessary sacrifice as the Bratva recovers in footing against the Triad.

Anatoly tapped him on the back, "Oliver, don't think too hard. After all this is over, you may still get what you really crave for. Be the Bratva Captain."

Well...reactions?

Next update will be in two weeks. Sorry, entertaining family who flew in from AUS now...